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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30135963">You’re not a monster, just a human (and you’ve made a few mistakes)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MutedCalm/pseuds/MutedCalm'>MutedCalm</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Songfics (I think that’s the term (: ) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DSMP - Fandom, Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>(I think?), (except he doesn’t want one), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enderman Hybrid Ranboo (Dream SMP), Gen, How Do I Tag, Mentioned Phil Watson (Dream SMP), My First Fanfic, Panic Attacks, Piglin Technoblade (Dream SMP), Ranboo Needs a Hug (Dream SMP), Sad Ranboo (Dream SMP), Supportive Technoblade (Dream SMP)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:08:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,691</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30135963</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MutedCalm/pseuds/MutedCalm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Techno is woken late at night and Chat makes him go see our favorite memory boy.</p><p>Title from It’s Alright by Mother Mother<br/>(I also wrote this while listening to it on repeat so you might want to try that as well (: )</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ranboo &amp; Technoblade (Dream SMP)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Songfics (I think that’s the term (: ) [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2217957</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>301</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>You’re not a monster, just a human (and you’ve made a few mistakes)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! This is my first fic (and also the first writing thing I’ve ever actually finished if it wasn’t for school). I am in desperate need of criticism, so please share any mistake I’ve made (: .</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Technoblade woke with a start, fully alert as if something had woke him. He dragged his gaze around his small room, across the vast bookshelves - very organized due to his habit of organizing whilst stressed - with his cloak on top and his beautiful sword, <em>The Orphan Obliterator</em>, propped against the wall, easily in reach. He frowned, wondering what had woken him - there was no where for anything to hide, he had made sure of that - . </p><p>
  <strong>‘ Outside ‘<br/>
‘Not here. Nothing can be here. ‘<br/>
‘ Phil’s boy ‘<br/>
‘ Technofind ‘</strong>
</p><p>Technoblade grimaced slightly as the voices began to rile themselves up. Growling softly; he pushed his thick red blankets off and rose to his feet from the mattress that laid directly on the ground. His sturdy hooves legs held him firmly as he stood, blinking the dreary blur from his eyes. The arctic air bit at his uncovered arms. He shivered before making his way to his bookshelf,  snatching his pale blue Antarctic coat, the colors reminiscent of his and Phil’s past ventures. A smile ghosted his lips as he though back for a moment. </p><p>An odd sound brought him out of his fond memories with a snap. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus. The cloak was slipped into effortlessly as Technoblade slid his arms through the sleeves, the cold lingering for a moment - like Phil had done after dinner that night -, before vanishing entirely. Technoblade traced his fingers over the worn spines of his many books. He had read them all, could remember what he had been escaping from, because books were just that - an escape - . His calloused fingers landed on a favorite of his, and with a satisfied grunt he grabbed it. <em>The Iliad</em>, it was titled. He had <em>The Odyssey</em>, of course, he just preferred the former. </p><p>
  <strong>‘ stop looking at your nerd shit. Memory Boy needs you ‘<br/>
‘ Nerd ‘<br/>
‘ E ‘<br/>
‘ fuck the Iliad it’s lore time ‘</strong>
</p><p>- <em>shut up you’re all illiterate dumbasses </em>- Techno cursed at Chat. He made his way to the ladder down, his hooves clicking against the wooden floors. As he passed he grabbed his sword and held it in the same hand as <em>The Iliad</em>. With a grunt he made his way down the ladder one-handed, his thick fingers gripping each rung tightly as he descended. There was the sound again, a sound you might expect an enderman to make. - <em>Shit, Phil’s new kid is part ender, right? </em>- he thought as he slipped his sword into its sheath, now standing in the downstairs. Techno shifted slightly, letting his gaze flick lightly across his chests, brewing stands, and the fireplace with its last embers still desperately holding onto life before turning and heading out the door. </p><p>The door swung open with a obnoxiously loud squeak - something that had made him feel safer before, but now it was nothing but an annoyance - and Technoblade looked upon the short bridge to Phil’s ahead and the stairs to Ranboo’s to the left. He flicked his ear as he stared past the lit houses. Beyond the soft glow of lanterns was a sea of darkness - he felt as though if he walked into the darkness he’d be gone forever, stuck in that abyss eternally. - <em>It’s just the dark. I haven’t been scared of the dark since I was a piglet</em> - he scolded himself as he glared into the thick black only a few blocks away. </p><p>
  <strong>‘ baby Techno (: ‘<br/>
‘ you’ll be fine. Been through worse ‘<br/>
‘ thought you were over this shit lmao ‘<br/>
‘ E ‘<br/>
‘ /rainbowchat ‘</strong>
</p><p>Rolling his eyes as he shook himself into focus Techno listened for monsters, anything to be an excuse not to leave the safety of the light into the uncertain abyss beyond. He heard nothing - nothing aside from the shaky breaths and muffled cries coming from the ender hybrid’s house - and snatched one of the lanterns, silently hoping the dim light would be enough to cut through the crushing dark. Hoof-steps on the wooden stairs echoed through the nearly silent night, so loud in contrast they may as well have been the sound of his rockets during the festival - either of the festivals - , as he headed to his new neighbor’s house. </p><p>The crunch of snow under cloven hooves sounded as Technoblade trudged down a path he had only traveled a few times before, possibly only four or so times. The path was short - thank the Nether - and Technoblade quickly made it to the ender-boy’s door, oddly tall and made of messy spruce and clearly carved by someone who didn’t have proper control of their tools. He knocked, a single sharp note that pierced the relative silence that had enveloped the night, apart from - of course - the quiet sobs of ‘Phil’s boy’, as Chat had dubbed him. </p><p>There was no response, apart from Ranboo’s shaky breaths getting quieter - as if he’d put his hands to his mouth to quiet them - . “Ranboo, it’s me, Technoblade. D’you mind lettin’ me in?” Technoblade called, hoping his voice was soft enough as to not scare the teen. </p><p>“Come in,” Ranboo managed to get out between shaky breaths and hiccups.</p><p>Technoblade tested the handle, grimacing as it was unlocked. - <em>This kid doesn’t care about his safety, does he?</em> - he thought before realizing that <em>he</em> was the defense system. The door swung open silently, another thing he would never let happen if this were his house. He heard another muffled sob from below him. He peered around Ranboo’s small room - seeing nothing, but a few chests, a table with two chairs, and a ladder down to what Techno assumed was where Ranboo was. The lantern Techno held could easily illuminate the small area, even as the flame inside waned. </p><p>
  <strong>‘ go see !!! ‘<br/>
‘ memory boy sad ): ‘<br/>
‘ E ‘<br/>
‘ remember what Phil did with his boys when they were upset (: ‘<br/>
‘ E ‘</strong>
</p><p>Techno grimaced as Chat riled themselves up before he headed to the ladder in the back left corner. “Ranboo, I’m coming down. Is that alright?” He asked, willing his voice to a tone Phil would’ve used in such a situation. </p><p>“Y- yeah,”</p><p>He smiled softly, an odd expression for a face like his - which was that of a piglin - . Technoblade slid down the ladder smoothly, landing on his sturdy ungulate legs with a soft thump. The lantern was held higher in an attempt to let the light spread further. There were chests, a well-made map, a small sugar cane farm in the back, a bed, and a half-ender boy with his knees tucked to his chest, trying his best not to cry as he quivered against the cold walls beneath his map. </p><p>Techno stepped lightly over to Ranboo, his mouth pulled into a frown around his tusks. The piglin stood in front of the shaky teen for a moment. Instinct told him to reach out and ruffle Ranboo’s hair - something he’d seen Phil do to both Tommy and Wilbur as they grew older - , but a voice, louder than the rest, told him to wait. </p><p>
  <strong>‘ wait. Ask before touching ‘</strong>
</p><p>“Can I touch you?” Techno asked, nothing more than a whisper. </p><p>Ranboo shook his head quickly. - <em>damn, good thing I asked then. Thanks Chat, I guess </em>- he though with a slight grimace. “I’m going to light the torches, is that alright with you?” Techno asked gently as he rubbed his snout. </p><p>Ranboo nodded - still curled up, shivering - . Techno made quick work of the torches, first using the small flame of the lantern, then using the first torch to light the others. The room was filled with a warm glow and a slowly rising temperature. He looked at the shivering teen as he stared at the ground like his life depended on it. - <em>what had Phil done in situations like this?</em> - he asked silently.</p><p>
  <strong>‘ read to him (: ‘<br/>
‘ the see, touch, hear, smell, taste thing ‘<br/>
‘ stab ‘<br/>
‘ no wtf dude ‘<br/>
‘ do it (: ‘<br/>
‘ ??? ‘</strong>
</p><p>- <em>what the fuck is the ‘see, hear, smell, taste’ thing?</em> - Techno thought angrily as he struggled to remember when he had heard something like that. His tail swished furiously under his cloak as he pinched the bridge of his nose. - <em>oh. That. </em>- . He silently cursed his spotty memory.</p><p>“Ranboo, what are five things you can see?” He asked as softly as he could, despite the tension that hung in the air that he swore he could cut through with the sword he had sheathed at his side.</p><p>“Uhm... chest. Hands. Uh- Technoblade. Sugarcane. And... ah- armor stand.”</p><p>“Mhm. What about four things you can feel?”</p><p>“Suit. Uhm- cold, hair, and... uh- wall.”</p><p>“Good job. Now - uh - how about three things you can hear?”</p><p>“Breathing and... moving water and Uhm- cat.”</p><p>“Okay. Almost done. Can you do two things you smell?”</p><p>Techno could hear Ranboo sniff, looking for a distinct scent. </p><p>“Spruce leaves and... hm- your wolves.”</p><p>“Now one thing you can taste.”</p><p>Ranboo took a moment with that one.</p><p>“Steak,” he decided with a self affirming nod. </p><p>“Well done.”</p><p>Ranboo was still clearly shaking, his breathing still uneven and irregular as he tried to ground himself. The dual-toned boy flinched as Techno sat suddenly in front of him with a soft thud. - <em>shit. Spooked ‘em </em>- .</p><p>
  <strong>‘ Technodumb ‘<br/>
‘ Poor kid. You’re so useless ‘<br/>
‘ Blood for the Blood God ‘<br/>
‘ Read the room bro ‘<br/>
‘ Stfu ‘</strong>
</p><p>“So what got you so upset?” Techno asked as if it weren’t a heavy question.</p><p>The half-ender boy stumbled around on his words for a moment before sighing.</p><p>“I’m a bad person, aren’t I?”</p><p>Technoblade almost snorted, but that would’ve been inappropriate for the situation. He learned towards the towering boy slightly, considering what he should say for a moment. “It’s okay, kid. You’ve got some things happenin’ in your head right now that you can’t control - I think - . And- uh- you’re learnin’, and it’s normal to make mistakes now - we both know I’ve made my fair share - . I can assure you, no matter how bad your actions are, that I’ve done infinitely worse. Just- don’t be afraid to make mistakes,” he murmured with a sad smile playing awkwardly on his lips around his protruding tusks.</p><p>Ranboo blinked up to Techno, both of them avoiding the other’s eyes. He began fidgeting slightly, wringing his hands anxiously. His tail twitched behind him. - <em>wait, fuck, I’m cornering him aren’t I? </em>- Techno thought, suddenly aware of the precarious situation the younger must feel he was in. He pulled himself to his hooves before offering a calloused hand to the teen. “I want to go upstairs, is that okay?” He questioned, forcing his voice back into monotony from it’s previously soft state. </p><p>The forgetful teen didn’t answer, instead simply grabbing Technoblade’s large hand with his own bony one and standing beside him. Techno shrugged and turned to go up the ladder one-handed - his left hand preoccupied with both <em>The Iliad </em>and his lantern - .</p><p>
  <strong>‘ soup ‘<br/>
‘ SOUP ‘<br/>
‘ soup ! ‘<br/>
‘ Soup ‘<br/>
‘ soup ‘</strong>
</p><p>Technoblade grimaced. - <em>soup is a good idea. Nice one chat</em> - he praised silently. The small praise was responded to with a massive roar of<em> pog </em>and <em>soup</em>. Techno couldn’t help but grin. </p><p>“Ranboo I’m goin’ to go make some soup back home, d’you wanna come?”</p><p>“N- no. I can wait here.”</p><p>Techno grunted in acknowledgement and set <em>The Iliad </em>on Ranboo’s small dining table - a silent promise that he would return - before beginning the trek through the suffocating darkness. This trip was easier, though. Going home was always easier than leaving for Techno.</p>
<h1>————————</h1><p>Ranboo could hardly believe this was happening. He’d been living with Phil and Techno for quite a while, he’d even had a few of his <em>moments</em>, as he would call them, but never had he thought that <em>Technoblade </em>- “The Blade”, “The Blood God”, among other things - would be comforting him through one. If Ranboo wasn’t already confused when Techno came at an ungodly hour in the night - because he was worried -, then he was definitely confused when the piglin had been mildly competent at grounding him. </p><p>The warrior had left to make soup. - <em>why is that exactly what I want right now</em> - he asked himself quietly as he tapped idly at the table that he had worked tirelessly on for hours on end, a steady thrum filling the cosy room he had made for himself. <em>The Iliad</em> laid on the table - a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed from Ranboo - , it’s pretty gilded pale-blue cover shined at him and he picked it up carefully. He let his fingers trace the edges of the shining gold as it reflected a torch he had lit shortly after Techno had left, bringing his lamp with him. Something else reflected too, though. His face - and Prime, he was a wreck - . His hair was messy, the usually clean divide between black and white had blurred slightly, and his crown was nowhere to be seen. Maybe that was why Techno had pitied him, Ranboo reasoned. - <em>it couldn’t be that he actually cares about me, could it? </em>- he pondered, letting his mind wander down the path of self-deprecation and distrust as he put the book softly back on the table. </p><p>A blast of cold air hit his face, pulling him sharply out of his thoughts as he looked up with a start. It was Techno, struggling to keep the bowls from spilling as he closed the door behind him. The man was holding his lantern with his front teeth carefully. He approached the table and set down the bowls carefully, pushing one towards Ranboo slowly. He dragged the bowl closer to him, eyeing the soup diligently. It was thick and off-white, with a bit of green garnish on top. “Potato,” Techno grumbled before eating a spoonful. </p><p>“Ah.” </p><p>Ranboo took the hand-carved wooden spoon out of the bowl and testing the soup for himself. He decided that Techno must be a magician of some sorts - because how could you make a soup that’s main ingredient in potato taste good? - . Another spoonful was eaten on his part almost immediately before he turned his gaze across the table, to Techno - who looked as though he was struggling to keep down laughter - , as he lifted another spoonful to his mouth and frowned. “What?” He questioned.</p><p>“Ah- sorry. You just looked like the soup had murdered your mother in cold blood ‘n then you got one taste of it and you just started to devour it like you haven’t eaten in days,” Techno snorted before eating another spoonful. </p><p>“I’m just- not usually a fan of potatoes...” </p><p>“Bet you’re an orphan.”</p><p>Ranboo blinked, confused. He stared at the piglin with an incredulous look in his eyes. - <em>what in the name of Prime could that mean? </em>- he asked himself. “W- What?” He asked.</p><p>It took Technoblade a second for what he had said to set in. Ranboo could almost see the cogs working in his head. “You’re not, are you?”</p><p>-<em> that’s what he got out of that?</em> - . “I mean I probably am. Endermen are hunted quite often.”</p><p>Technoblade frowned at that. -<em> why is he frowning- what is happening </em>- . “Are you aware of the name of my sword, The Orphan Obliterator?” He asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes, completely ignoring his soup.</p><p>“Wow- Uhm. Okay. I feel vaguely threatened right now.” Ranboo laughed, he knew Techno wasn’t being serious with his threats - after all this was still the piglin who grounded him a only an hour or so ago, and brought him soup only half an hour ago - .</p><p>“You should feel <em>clearly </em>threatened, <em>orphan</em>,” the piglin grinned, child-like joy displayed clearly in his body language.</p><p>Ranboo couldn’t help, but stare at the scarred warrior who sat at his dining table with a playful look in his eyes. The moment the man had originally visited about was nothing, but a dull memory that danced at the back of his mind and probably would be gone by the morning.</p>
<h1>————————</h1><p>When they were both done their soup Techno set out, wishing Ranboo a good night and telling him to “watch your back, orphan,” with a cheeky grin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d acted like that - like a kid - , even when he probably should’ve. </p><p>He decided that night that he quite liked Ranboo, and that maybe - if he could help someone like that - he wasn’t as bad a person as he thought.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Please give me song or artist suggestions I am so desperate for ideas.</p><p>My tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/mutedlcalm</p></blockquote></div></div>
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